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Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Quote:
Originally Posted by marcandme
It is expensive to do an obit in the paper. For one thing not many people read the newspaper any more, and with social media, it`s easy to get the word out. Plus, in covid times, no wakes or funerals are being held.
Yes, in fact with a sister, mother-in-law and stepfather all passing in the last few years we have not put any of them in any newspaper. The cost of $200-450 is not a big deal, it's just that no one gets a newspaper any more, and most of their peers were already deceased. My mother-in-law, for example, was 95 when she passed. Her only remaining family were us and one niece in another state.
I hadn't had a subscription to a local newspaper in about twenty five years. When we moved to a new state last year I thought it would be a good idea to subscribe to the local newspaper online just to get to know the area. That was a waste of money - there's very little that's newsworthy in it and I rarely even looked at it.
My kids are millennials and I'm sure they've never subscribed to a newspaper. Their generation has moved away from FB and Instagram too so I think the trend will be towards more people not having obituaries and it will go back to people finding out about a death through word of mouth.
It's pretty shocking to see the prices being charged for obituaries too! I'd much rather have money go towards something that can do some good. $900 can pay for quite a few spays and neuters in animal shelters.
I hadn't had a subscription to a local newspaper in about twenty five years. When we moved to a new state last year I thought it would be a good idea to subscribe to the local newspaper online just to get to know the area. That was a waste of money - there's very little that's newsworthy in it and I rarely even looked at it.
My kids are millennials and I'm sure they've never subscribed to a newspaper. Their generation has moved away from FB and Instagram too so I think the trend will be towards more people not having obituaries and it will go back to people finding out about a death through word of mouth.
It's pretty shocking to see the prices being charged for obituaries too! I'd much rather have money go towards something that can do some good. $900 can pay for quite a few spays and neuters in animal shelters.
You're right but for both my Mom and my son, I published obituaries in the city paper as well as two locals. What surprised me about the city paper was, they're only publishing "death notices" now, with the basic facts such as date of death, survivors, date of services, etc., and a photo. However, there's no extraneous info about where the decedent went to school or worked or hobbies -- unless you are a celebrity of a person of note in the community. I was a bit surprised at this, because you'd think newspapers would want to bring as much revenue as they can. Maybe it has something to do with Covid, like so many deaths they have to keep the obits brief? As far as the local papers go, it's a shame what they've become. My hometown paper was bought by one of the big conglomerates, has mostly news from the wire services and, of course, obituaries of local folks which is probably why anybody even still reads it.
I hadn't had a subscription to a local newspaper in about twenty five years. When we moved to a new state last year I thought it would be a good idea to subscribe to the local newspaper online just to get to know the area. That was a waste of money - there's very little that's newsworthy in it and I rarely even looked at it.
My kids are millennials and I'm sure they've never subscribed to a newspaper. Their generation has moved away from FB and Instagram too so I think the trend will be towards more people not having obituaries and it will go back to people finding out about a death through word of mouth.
It's pretty shocking to see the prices being charged for obituaries too! I'd much rather have money go towards something that can do some good. $900 can pay for quite a few spays and neuters in animal shelters.
A coworker half my age once told me that as my generation (baby boomers) died off, the newspapers would die off with them, as her generation did not read newspapers.
It is expensive to do an obit in the paper. For one thing not many people read the newspaper any more, and with social media, it`s easy to get the word out. Plus, in covid times, no wakes or funerals are being held.
It is expensive to publish an obituary in most papers and I understand why many people do not put one in there. When my father died in 2009, I felt he deserved one because he had accomplished much in his life and was known by many people in the area. It ended up costing me about $400.
I don't blame the newspapers. Many people do not understand their circumstances. Many are tottering on the edge of bankruptcy in a culture that goes to the internet for all their news. Your local paper has to make a living and its getting harder and harder for them to do it. About the only thing they have left is a sort of monopoly on covering local news. So, yes, they charge a lot to publish an obituary. Many people cannot afford it and so they pass without others being aware. Its sad. Its a testament to the times we live in.
You're right but for both my Mom and my son, I published obituaries in the city paper as well as two locals. What surprised me about the city paper was, they're only publishing "death notices" now, with the basic facts such as date of death, survivors, date of services, etc., and a photo. However, there's no extraneous info about where the decedent went to school or worked or hobbies -- unless you are a celebrity of a person of note in the community. I was a bit surprised at this, because you'd think newspapers would want to bring as much revenue as they can. Maybe it has something to do with Covid, like so many deaths they have to keep the obits brief? As far as the local papers go, it's a shame what they've become. My hometown paper was bought by one of the big conglomerates, has mostly news from the wire services and, of course, obituaries of local folks which is probably why anybody even still reads it.
Our local paper was such a disappointment. I thought I'd learn about the culture, politics, and get a general feel for the area but what I found were advertisements that were disguised as news articles and very little news. I also found getting onto the online site was cumbersome and I don't think they deliver a print version.
Although I've talked about my preferences when I die, when my mom and dad died, I followed their wishes to a T. Thinking back on it I remember my mom telling me to make sure the wake was at least two nights otherwise "people would talk." To this day I'm not really sure what she thought they would "talk" about but it was her wish so we obliged and we had a reception at my house afterwards. I don't remember the cost of the obituary but it was a pretty long one and I think she would have been pleased.
Recently, I have read about 2 people who died locally, and did not have an obituary in the local newspaper. One was an HVAC technician who slipped on the ice at a job site and hit his head. His body was discovered the next morning. Another was a woman who I knew from when I worked part-time at the library. This has caused me to wonder how many other deaths do not show up in the newspaper. Is paying to run an obituary going out of fashion? And what about the homeless? We have a significant homeless population in Wooster. When one of them dies, does their death go unnoticed?
Obituaries cost has increased, but yes a lot of people now do not have obits. My aunt didn't have an obituary, my mom did. My aunt didn't have much money and it also may have been her wish not to have one. My mom took care of everything before but we would have put it in even if she didn't unless she specifically stated she didn't want one.
Yep, the homeless deaths go unnoticed unless the newspaper publishes a story out of interest such as when a particular homeless person was a character around town.
The thing that is important to me, even when the deceased does not live in a place where the obituary is necessary to notify others of the arrangements, is for historical purposes. Now, even more than ever, online records will live forever.
Once in awhile, the newspaper will have a half page obit. I always wonder how much it cost, and who thought that this persons life was so fascinating to others that every single nuance of it was worth the money it cost to include it.
Yes, I was just looking at my father's findagrave.com entry a few days ago.
No mention of his first or second wives, only the third one (the drunk). No mention that he had two children with the second wife. Not really a surprise as he went to great lengths to avoid having anything to do with his children.
But I'm sure the entry was the doing of the drunk's adult children. No mention that she drank herself to death: internal bleeding from alcoholism. Wouldn't want to admit that.
That's a real problem I never even thought of - the accuracy of the obituary will be dependent on who writes it and with divorces and remarriages, the last spouse or surviving children will have the final say. Can you have competing obituaries printed by different family members?
I was listed in an obituary with an incorrect last name. It wasn't just a spelling error, it was a whole different name. Nothing malicious was meant by it but the family was in deep mourning so I never mentioned it.
My mother worked for our local newspaper for 30+ years, retiring in 1985. Back then, putting up an obituary was up to the family. If they didn't want to, they didn't have to. I usually check the funeral home web sites.
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